Chapter 6 Treasures of the World

Their eyes met abruptly.

"Rukawa, your ball control and basketball IQ are both outstanding!"

Faced with Kanon's praise, Rukawa remained expressionless, his tone as indifferent as anyone else's: "Of course."

Hana looked at him in surprise, astonished by his other side—cold and arrogant.

Rest time.

Ayako picked up the energy bar and beef jerky, took a bite, and felt the energy welling up in her mouth. She exclaimed, "Wow! It's delicious! Are there three kinds of beef jerky?"

Hanon took out different packages of beef jerky and replied:

"It comes in original, barbecue, and slightly sweet flavors. Since athletes have special physical conditions, I didn't make a spicy one. Please choose your own flavor. It's a snack with a relatively high protein content, which can replenish the body's energy. Eating more of it is good for athletes."

"Wow... thank you so much, Kanon! I want the original flavor..."

"Thank you, Kanon-kun... I'd like the barbecue flavor..."

Lively teenagers flocked to the scene, and judging from their appearance, the girls distributing the food seemed to be cafeteria aunties.

Rukawa Kaede stood quietly to one side, his expression cold and indifferent.

"Rukawa, what flavor do you like to eat?"

Rukawa Kaede, who was secretly observing, raised his gaze and met Kanon's eyes.

He lowered his long, dark eyelashes, his voice clear: "...Sweet."

Hanon's expression remained unchanged as she nodded and agreed.

Obviously, no one expected that the aloof and cool guy was a dessert lover.

Rukawa Kaede politely accepted it, his smile remaining indifferent. "Thank you."

Kogure gently pushed up his glasses. "Thank you, Kanon-kun, for allowing everyone to not only enjoy exercise during training but also savor delicious food."

Sakuragi tore open the packaging, grabbed a piece of beef jerky, and stuffed it into Kogure's mouth. "Glasses-kun, don't be shy! Eat more! Build strength and muscle, and together we'll win the national championship!"

Kogure awkwardly held the beef jerky, "Ah... we're not wrestling... but it does taste pretty good..."

Rukawa Kaede eats very politely and elegantly. After swallowing the first bite, his movements suddenly quickened, but he didn't seem to be in a hurry. On the contrary, it made the viewers feel quite hungry.

His cheeks puffed out, creating a somewhat endearing contrast on his tense face.

Hana's eyelashes curved as she asked, "Is the taste alright?"

The fox raised its eyes, its cool gaze devoid of emotion, and even its voice was calm. "Hmm."

Sakuragi glanced at Kanon, then at the expressionless Rukawa, and was furious. "Whatever he does, that stinky fox should be eating sour grapes!"

Rukawa Kaede was still chewing when he gave him a look—Idiot!

Sakuragi glared at him angrily: "You're the idiot! This genius will beat you sooner or later!"

Before the monkey and fox could make a move, Kogure hugged Sakuragi and coaxed him, "Alright, alright, Sakuragi, finish eating and then practice properly. I see you've become much more skilled at dribbling."

Sakuragi's temper was successfully quelled, and he happily exclaimed, "You think so too, Glasses Bro! Hehehe..."

With delicious snacks accompanying them, the team's morale during training reached a new level.

...

That day, after finishing the housework, Sakuragi couldn't wait to ask, "Is everything tidied up? Shall we go for a walk first?"

Whenever Haruko and her teammates see even the smallest progress Sakuragi makes, they applaud enthusiastically, making the red-haired monkey very happy.

Its big eyes are bright and sparkling, and its big tail is wagging wildly behind it.

Hana smiled and nodded: "Let's go."

"Yay!" Sakuragi grabbed the basketball with one hand, ran quickly to the entrance, put on her basketball shoes, and urged, "Hurry up, sis!!"

Sakuragi's eyes were filled with eagerness, and Kanon couldn't help but feel a deep sense of pride and joy.

After several extra days of practice, the little red-haired monkey became even more determined to practice.

The sky was heavy, as if it wanted to fall.

Hanon looked up. "Hanamichi, it looks like it's going to rain?"

Sakuragi looked up, a hint of disappointment in his voice, "Yeah... does that mean we can't practice today?"

Hanon simply said, "Take the umbrella, let's go to the school gymnasium."

Sakuragi was in high spirits at the moment, so of course he wanted to press his advantage.

Sakuragi's smile widened, and he loudly replied, "Okay!"

After saying that, he turned around and went home, grabbed two umbrellas, and also packed a pair of rain boots for Hana. He stuffed the things into his sports bag, and strode confidently with Hana to school.

"Bang, bang, bang"

A sound came from inside the basketball court.

Kanon and Sakuragi exchanged glances.

Who's training inside so late?

Sakuragi: "You go in and wait for me. I'm going to the locker room to change."

Hanon nodded, walked over first, and gently opened the door to the stadium—

On the court, the figure was dribbling, dodging, and shooting with complete concentration, constantly trying as if challenging the "opponent" in his mind.

Dribbling, jumping, dunking—all in one smooth motion!

The basketball court was brightly lit, and his slender figure looked as if he had been splashed with water. His white t-shirt was almost soaked and clung to his body, and even the wristbands on his wrists were dripping wet.

His eyes were clear and dark, and sweat dripped down his delicate jawline.

His black, tousled hair fell across his forehead, partially concealing the coldness between his brows. On the court, he exuded an aura of dominance.

I can't express the shock and impact I felt.

The ball rolled to her feet.

Rukawa Kaede turned around and met a clean smile.

That smile was innate, intense and direct.

Two seconds later, Rukawa Kaede calmly looked away.

Kanon picked up the basketball and greeted him, "Hey Rukawa, didn't you go home after club activities?"

Rukawa Kaede didn't move forward, he just stood there and said, "Hmm."

Hanon took two steps forward, utterly surprised: "Have you eaten? Club activities ended a long time ago."

Rukawa Kaede lowered his eyes, remained silent for two seconds, shook his head, and said casually, "Eat after practice."

Hana looked at him; he was tall and slender, yet stood at a height of 187 cm. Under the play of light and shadow, his features were so handsome that he seemed like a god untouched by worldly affairs.

If someone is sleepy and grumpy in the morning, they're probably suffering from low blood sugar or anemia.

"You're really going all out! But are you sure it's okay not to eat?"

Rukawa looked at her, stunned for a moment.

Those blue eyes were breathtakingly beautiful, and they showed him a hint of concern, which made him momentarily lose his focus.

He is neither good at nor fond of interacting with girls.

Rukawa Kaede seemed a little awkward and indifferent. "It's okay."

Then, looking at Hanon's hand, she said, "The ball."

Hanon immediately passed the ball to him, "Here you go!"

Watching him practice without any distractions, Hanon felt both moved and admiring.

He possesses a sincere heart; he has no shortage of talent, hard work, and passion—he is so pure and so rare.

Purity is a treasure of this world.

Sakuragi walked into the basketball court humming a song, and his face immediately fell when he saw Rukawa. "That damn Rukawa! He got here before me!"

Every time I see that stinky fox, he's either practicing ball or practicing ball, he's even more diligent than me!

Rukawa Kaede glanced at him and greeted him politely, "Idiot."

Holding the ball, Rukawa took a deep breath and suddenly dashed toward the basket like an arrow released from a bow.

He threw the ball towards the backboard from four or five meters away from the basket.

With a "thud," the basketball bounced off the side of the rim.

At that moment, he had already rushed to the basket and jumped up quickly! He grabbed the ball with both hands as it bounced up, curled his waist forward, and slammed the ball into the basket with force!

A perfect back clasp!

As he landed on his toes, his gaze met hers in mid-air.

Hanon's heart skipped a beat.

How can those fox eyes be so bright!

It looked as if the stars in the sky had fallen into the sea, and even the ripples were sparkling.

But who practices using a back clasp? It's so subtly sexy...

Sakuragi stomped her foot angrily and made a face at his back. "You jerk, Rukawa! I won't lose to you! Sis, I'm going to start practicing!"

Sakuragi was determined to work even harder than Rukawa!

Hanon looked up at the sky outside, thought for a few moments, and then said to Sakuragi, "Hanamichi, you practice the basic dribbling first, I'll be right back."

"Alright! Hmph h ...

Sakuragi responded loudly, focusing intently on unleashing his furious dribbling skills.

Hanon turned and ran out.

While retrieving the ball, Rukawa Kaede glanced inadvertently at the figure running away into the distance.

The only sound in the gym was the sound of basketballs. Sakuragi and Rukawa each occupied one half of the court, practicing without disturbing each other.

Soon, Hanon returned to the gymnasium and patted the water droplets off her body.

Hearing the noise, Sakuragi flashed a bright smile, revealing his perfectly aligned teeth. "Sister! You're back!"

At the same time, Rukawa glanced sideways, paused for 2 seconds, and then continued shooting.

Hanon put down her things, changed into her basketball shoes, and carried a stool to Sakuragi. "Come on, dribble past this stool, keeping your body in a straight line."

Sakuragi nodded in agreement, "Okay!"

Sakuragi dribbled the ball, skillfully getting past the benches, going back and forth tirelessly.

After Sakuragi got into the zone, Kanon returned to the sidelines and looked in Rukawa's direction.

Rukawa Kaede turned his head, and the other person returned a handsome smile.

He looked away, as if he hadn't seen her, and continued to throw a ball into the basket.

Hanon sat on the sidelines, glancing at Rukawa and then at Sakuragi.

After an unknown amount of time, a familiar voice rang in my mind.

[The protagonist, Rukawa Kaede, completes 300 basketball shots and gains 5 healing points.]

The surprise in Hanon's eyes was obvious.

She can only gain healing points if she is present during the protagonist's extra training. In such a short time, Rukawa Kaede actually hit 300 balls!

To understand the significance of this hit rate, just look at the healing value to know how difficult it is!

Amazing!

As Rukawa Kaede walked to the sidelines, he glanced over while wiping his sweat and noticed that Kanon was staring intently at him.

Rukawa Kaede: ...?

Hua Yin walked straight over, raised her hand and handed over the food, "Would you like something to eat?"

Rukawa's gaze followed her arm down to where a bag was quietly held in mid-air.

Outside the building, a torrential downpour was underway, with raindrops pattering against the roof.

He stood there motionless, staring at her wet hair and clothes, remaining silent for a long time.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Hana handed the bag to him again, so that he could take it if he just reached out a little.

"Eat something first, then you can practice later."